Here's a story for you...
In a small village there lived a man who was well known as the most amazing chef in the country. Once a year, he would hold a banquet for all of his family, a number of dignitaries, and a few specially chosen friends. The event was not only a culinary wonder to his guests, but each person was also waited on like royalty, making a seat at his table a highly coveted honor.
One year, on the afternoon before his prestigious event, the man saw a beggar in an alley near a bakery waiting for scraps to be tossed into the garbage. The man had compassion on the beggar and asked him to come to his special banquet. The beggar thankfully accepted.
The next day, the guests arrived at the man's house, each one marveling at the large banquet table adorned with fine dining sets and decorations. As the honored group began to be seated at the table, a haggard man with ratty clothes appeared in the doorway. The host immediately greeted him with an embrace and led him to a seat next to the table's place of honor.
The host stood at his seat at the end of the large table, bid the guests welcome to his feast, and thanked God for the plentiful food. As the food was served, the host watched his poor guest at his right with anticipation. How he wanted to warm the beggar's heart and treat his stomach to the most satisfying food in the land.
But as the food was passed platter after platter, the host realized the stranger's plate was still empty. Course after course the beggar took no food. The gracious chef implored the man to take food, to eat, to drink, and be filled. But the thin beggar did not eat and he assured his host that he was fine, and came only to respect the invitation.
When the host persisted, the thin beggar explained that earlier that day the bakery had tossed out the old bread from the week into the alley. The beggar spent the rest of the day eating his fill of stale bread.
The host listened incredulously, hardly believing that the man did not recognize the honor he had been given. His heart sank as he realized the poor street beggar would not taste the delicious treats, the savory dishes, the decadent deserts and the fine drinks that were prepared for him because the poor man had settled for stale bread in an alley.
Gently and quietly, the famous chef explained that no one need honor the invitation and sit at his table if they do not come seeking to be satisfied by his food. The beggar looked around at the other guests, feasting and zealously exclaiming the virtues of the meal. Not understanding the enthusiasm of the others, or feeling the camaraderie of the others at the feast, he left.
For years, the beggar continued his pursuit of spoiled food and stale bread. Every once in a while, he would think back to the banquet and remember how odd the experience was. He never tasted the chef's food, and he never understood why the chef's guests were so excited and so thankful to be at the table.
I've met a number of people recently who know about God, they know about Jesus, but they admitted to me that they don't feel that they have a particularly "full" life -- in fact it feels downright empty sometimes. They feel luke warm, and they don't really understand the passion that other people have for God and for life with him.
If we feel this way, this is an indication that we are not actually tasting the real life of God. We aren't coming to God hungry for what he has for us, usually because we're already full of stale bread. And having a filled stomach, we may even look around and wonder why other people think life with God is so great. Just like the beggar, we wonder why God's "savory banquet" is so special. Most likely, that's because all we know is the "satisfaction" of stale bread.
Settling for stale bread is not what we're created for -- it isn't the best we can have. If we expect our lives to be fulfilled by our work, our achievements, our friends, our family, our creativity, our things... we are trying to fill our lives up with things that cannot satisfy us like God can. These are things that, while they may be important to us in many ways, they do not give us a life that can compare to a life with God.
God wants to be the greatest satisfaction of our lives, so that our hearts echo:
Jesus came to give us this full life that God offers. If you don't know him, this kind of life is not be possible. To learn about Jesus, see the previous post called "God's Great Rescue."
In a small village there lived a man who was well known as the most amazing chef in the country. Once a year, he would hold a banquet for all of his family, a number of dignitaries, and a few specially chosen friends. The event was not only a culinary wonder to his guests, but each person was also waited on like royalty, making a seat at his table a highly coveted honor.
One year, on the afternoon before his prestigious event, the man saw a beggar in an alley near a bakery waiting for scraps to be tossed into the garbage. The man had compassion on the beggar and asked him to come to his special banquet. The beggar thankfully accepted.
The next day, the guests arrived at the man's house, each one marveling at the large banquet table adorned with fine dining sets and decorations. As the honored group began to be seated at the table, a haggard man with ratty clothes appeared in the doorway. The host immediately greeted him with an embrace and led him to a seat next to the table's place of honor.
The host stood at his seat at the end of the large table, bid the guests welcome to his feast, and thanked God for the plentiful food. As the food was served, the host watched his poor guest at his right with anticipation. How he wanted to warm the beggar's heart and treat his stomach to the most satisfying food in the land.
But as the food was passed platter after platter, the host realized the stranger's plate was still empty. Course after course the beggar took no food. The gracious chef implored the man to take food, to eat, to drink, and be filled. But the thin beggar did not eat and he assured his host that he was fine, and came only to respect the invitation.
When the host persisted, the thin beggar explained that earlier that day the bakery had tossed out the old bread from the week into the alley. The beggar spent the rest of the day eating his fill of stale bread.
The host listened incredulously, hardly believing that the man did not recognize the honor he had been given. His heart sank as he realized the poor street beggar would not taste the delicious treats, the savory dishes, the decadent deserts and the fine drinks that were prepared for him because the poor man had settled for stale bread in an alley.
Gently and quietly, the famous chef explained that no one need honor the invitation and sit at his table if they do not come seeking to be satisfied by his food. The beggar looked around at the other guests, feasting and zealously exclaiming the virtues of the meal. Not understanding the enthusiasm of the others, or feeling the camaraderie of the others at the feast, he left.
For years, the beggar continued his pursuit of spoiled food and stale bread. Every once in a while, he would think back to the banquet and remember how odd the experience was. He never tasted the chef's food, and he never understood why the chef's guests were so excited and so thankful to be at the table.
God's Table
In the Bible, we learn that God has invited us to his banquet of honor so that he can bless us with rich food for our life that is like nothing we could possibly find anywhere else. He has asked us to taste what he has for us and see how satisfying it is to our lives. This is the life he planned for us to have in Jesus.Psalm 34:8
Taste and see that the LORD is good; blessed is the man who takes refuge in him.
John 10:10b
...I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.
John 6:35
Then Jesus declared, "I am the bread of life. He who comes to me will never go hungry, and he who believes in me will never be thirsty."
I've met a number of people recently who know about God, they know about Jesus, but they admitted to me that they don't feel that they have a particularly "full" life -- in fact it feels downright empty sometimes. They feel luke warm, and they don't really understand the passion that other people have for God and for life with him.
If we feel this way, this is an indication that we are not actually tasting the real life of God. We aren't coming to God hungry for what he has for us, usually because we're already full of stale bread. And having a filled stomach, we may even look around and wonder why other people think life with God is so great. Just like the beggar, we wonder why God's "savory banquet" is so special. Most likely, that's because all we know is the "satisfaction" of stale bread.
Settling for stale bread is not what we're created for -- it isn't the best we can have. If we expect our lives to be fulfilled by our work, our achievements, our friends, our family, our creativity, our things... we are trying to fill our lives up with things that cannot satisfy us like God can. These are things that, while they may be important to us in many ways, they do not give us a life that can compare to a life with God.
God wants to be the greatest satisfaction of our lives, so that our hearts echo:
Psalm 16:11God wants us to hunger for him and the life he offers more than anything else. He wants us to come to him to be satisfied, and he wants us to come hungry.
You have made known to me the path of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand.
Psalm 146:16
You open your hand and satisfy the desires of every living thing.
Psalm 42:1So, if you're looking for more "satisfaction" out of life, if you're feeling an emptiness in life, if you're hoping for a life lived to the fullest...then let's stop trying to find that kind of satisfaction in the things of life. Taste and see that God is good. Make him your ultimate desire and pursuit, and he will give you the most incredibly meaningful, full, and rewarding life possible.
As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for you, O God.
Jesus came to give us this full life that God offers. If you don't know him, this kind of life is not be possible. To learn about Jesus, see the previous post called "God's Great Rescue."
